Dear Parents,

We come to the close of another jam-packed term. The last few weeks have been challenging as several staff deal with losing a loved one and requiring time off. Barbara Rundel Dobson has flown to be with her family in Germany as her father died suddenly. Please keep Barbara and her family in your prayers. 

Last term 13 students entered their artworks into the Belconnen Arts - Our Town Exhibition. Well done to all the children who participated. 

The exhibition of student artwork will be on display in front of Kmart at Marketplace Gungahlin from 1-27 October, so drop in and have a look. Thank you to Mrs Bernadette Matthew for coordinating this exciting lunchtime club activity.

Bring Your Own Device Program (BYOD - Chromebook) Year 4 - 6 

Following a lengthy conversation with the Year 4 teachers we will continue our BYOD program from Year 4. We weighed up all the pros and cons and how they are used in class and the access to a device is vital, particularly for publishing work, Essential Assessments, research, and coding strategies.  We will also continue to increase our bank of devices, for school use only, across the school as the budget allows. The children will need to be ready with a device by Term 1 Week 5. This gives parents time to access sales in December and January.

Refer to the BYOD Section in the newsletter for requirements 

Community Council Payments via QKR! app

Payments for Community Council fundraisers including the Year Book and Second Hand Uniform shop are made using the QKR! app. The QKR! by Mastercard app can be downloaded via Apple or Google store.

Important Term 4 messages 

• Term 4 means a change to the summer uniform. No change to sport days 
• Hats are required when outside.
• Shoulder-length hair or longer should be tied back, with no jewellery except studs and a watch.

MTS Dance Club

With our hall being available for Term 4 Cassie will be running her dance club again on Wednesdays. The registration link will be circulated via Compass as soon as I clarify, with Cassie, regarding the number of weeks.

 School returns on Monday 14 October for all students at MTS.

God Bless and enjoy the break,

Carmel Maguire

Principal

Getting Ready

Welcome to the Mother Teresa School Kindergarten Orientation News Centre. We have set up this platform to reach out to all families, especially new families, with all the relevant information about our orientation process. We would love all members of the families to get involved in their child’s preparation for the first day of school. Over the coming weeks, there will be games and activities for the whole family to enjoy and information about the school, school readiness, and upcoming dates. Check the newsletter weekly via Compass or the school website. 

Orientation Dates

I look forward to meeting you, please look out for our next update in our next newsletter.

Carmel Maguire 

WHOLE SCHOOL FOCUS
The Whole school focus theme for this year is ‘COME HOLY SPIRIT’

This term at Mother Teresa School we will use the theme that:  We are called to Innovate.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14

Our value for the next week is: RESPECT

We can show this the Mother Teresa School way by:

• Treating people, the way we want to be treated
• Playing by the rules and take turns
• Telling the truth
• Listening to other people’s ideas
• Being considerate of other people’s feelings

Something to Think About
Have you ever been left out of a game? How did it feel? Can you think of some times when you may have excluded someone else?

The Story
John complained to Jesus that he saw someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus. How dare he? This man, whoever he was, was not a disciple, one of the select few! Who did he think he was calling on the name and power of Jesus for assistance! Jesus tells his disciples to accept anyone who is ‘for’ them.

Reflection
There are lots of examples in today’s world of exclusion and rejection. In the gospel story, Jesus calls us to be tolerant and accepting of others. He encourages us to welcome others into our group.
What does being “one of us” mean for your friendship group? Your class group? Your family group?
What are some ways we can exclude or reject people? How might it look different if we welcomed and accepted them?

Video
Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qu2cQnULjE

Happy Holidays!

Stay safe!

We look forward to seeing you refreshed and relaxed next term.

Peace and Best Wishes,

Anne Leet
Religious Education Co-ordinator

BYOD - Bring your own device - Chromebook

A Chromebook is a kind of laptop running Chrome OS, an operating system made by Google. Chromebooks are made by a range of known technology brands like Lenovo and ASUS. There often is not a lot of difference between brands. 

The preferred device is a Chromebook laptop. Unfortunately other makes like Samsung/Android tablets are not supported and do not reliably work with the Catholic Education systems.

You may like to shop around and see if there are student or education deals around or keep an eye out for upcoming shopping events like Black Friday (October/November), Cyber Monday (November), Boxing Day (December), event the January sales.

When purchasing, please be aware of the following specifications:

4GB Memory (RAM) minimum

• 32GB Storage for use in primary school is fine, many will have 64GB anyway
• 11-13 Inch screen minimum  
• personal preference
• please consider the size and weight of the device - your child is transporting the device to and from school each day - not too heavy or large
• consider if the device fits into their school bag 
• At least 8 hour battery life 
• Must have the ability to connect to headphones, whether it be via a port or bluetooth - whatever your student has access to
• Must have a camera
• A touchscreen can be useful for some students (but it's optional) 
• Please do NOT provide Samsung/Android tablets - these are not recommended and do not operate well on Catholic Education systems.
• In terms of price, don't spend too much on the Chromebook. A budget of up to $500 is reasonable. One of the deciding factors in moving from iPads to Chromebooks was the comparable/cheaper price.
• A protective case or cover for the Chromebook is required
• Headphones or earphones are required
• Some students have a mouse (optional)
• Warranty should be a consideration when purchasing a device
• We recommend that you consider adding the device to your insurance policy

Chromebooks do not require active firewalls, or anti-virus and anti-malware software. When the Chromebook is connected to the school network via specialised BYOD WiFi, it will utilise the online security settings set up by Catholic Education. 

The life of most hardware is three years. Please be realistic when purchasing a device, especially regarding cost.

A big congratulations to Mila Polegubic for being awarded the MTS Netballer of the Year.

This term the shop will be operating Wednesday and Friday from 8:45am to 9:15am, with payment by QKR! app and cash. The QKR! by Mastercard app can be dowloaded via Apple or Google store.

Please ensure your car is off the basketball court by 8.50am as we must close and lock the gates for safety. 

Donations of uniforms that have no rips or stains and are freshly washed are always welcome to be dropped off at the front office.

By allowing your child to walk, ride or scoot to school, you’re doing your bit to reduce traffic congestion around school gates, making it safer for everyone and helping reduce risk of injury.

Part way is ok! Is your child ready to walk, ride or scoot to school but it is too far; or there are major road crossings to be negotiated? Have you considered drop-off points away from the school gate which provide safe, convenient footpath access to the school grounds? Your school has a map which shows where your local part way drop off points are. This can prevent your frustration with the traffic chaos at the school gate and allow your child to start the day the right way – with some moderate-level exercise, arriving at school energised and attentive. You will save time by avoiding the crawling school-zone traffic. A calmer start to your day and a benefit for your child. Who can say no to that!

To support our families there are two programs families may be interested in. The first is Vinnies Kids Club. See flier 

Please email sophie.dash@cg.catholic.edu.au or carmel.maguire@cg.catholic.edu.au 

MyWay+ is coming! Transition set to commence

The next major phase for MyWay+ is about to commence from Friday 20 September ahead of the next generation ticketing system going live this November.

Over the last few months significant progress has occurred in the design, development and testing of the new MyWay+ system.

We are now at the exciting point where system installation can commence. This includes removing the existing MyWay equipment on board buses and installing the new MyWay+ validators both in buses and along the light rail alignment. System user testing will also take place with over 200 Canberrans providing feedback on the new system and its journey planning functionality.

To enable these critical activities to take place the current MyWay and NXTBUS real time systems will no longer be available from Friday 20 September.

Bus and light rail services will continue to operate as per the scheduled timetable and frequency, however people will not need to pay during the transition period to MyWay+.

A fare free travel period was always planned as part of the MyWay+ transition. We didn’t want to try and run two systems at the same time given it will take at least six weeks to fit out the whole bus fleet and install new ticket machines at locations such as along the light rail alignment.

Key changes taking place from Friday 20 September 2024:

• Travel will be free - The MyWay ticketing system will no longer be available. Travel on buses and light rail will be free. Customers will not be required to tap on and off during this fare free travel period.
• Timetable Information will be available online and at major stops and interchanges - NXTBUS will no longer be available. This includes on board buses at bus stops and stations as well as the SMS service.
• Bus services will continue to operate to the scheduled timetable. Where possible, static timetable information be available at bus stations.
• Light rail will continue to operate to the scheduled frequency. Next stop information will still be available for light rail (onboard and at stops).

 Further details on impacted services are available online at https://www.transport.act.gov.au/news/news-and-events-items/september/transition

Catholic School Parents Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn (CSPACG) Council will hold their AGM in Term 4 and are seeking representatives from all regions to fill vacancies.
Please discuss this with your school’s Community Council and consider nominating a representative from your school.
The Council meets four times a year with two meetings in-person and two online. This is a great way to learn more about advocacy, representation, engagement and support for our Catholic school parents and carers.
Nominees should complete the form below and return it to parents@cg.catholic.edu.au by 31 October.
For further information, contact CSPACG Executive Officer, Sarah Rose.

Link:  Parent Representative Nomination Form 2025.pdf

Contact: sarah.rose@cg.catholic.edu.au or 0447 888 326 (Family Engagement Officer)

Service area leader: tim.elliott@cg.catholic.edu.au

Water Polo ACT have started up a schools competition.

The competition runs on a Friday night from 6-8:30pm. Students from years 3-6 are eligible to play. Please see the attached flyer for details.

If you are interested please contact kieran.russell@cg.catholic.edu.au